


Some Tender Charm

by bavariansugarcookie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Childhood Friends, First Kiss, Flashbacks, Fluff, Knight Shiro (Voltron), Love Confessions, M/M, Prince Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26797327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavariansugarcookie/pseuds/bavariansugarcookie
Summary: Shiro slipped out of the castle at first light, taking the winding path through the city streets to the bakery he and Matt haunted when they were off duty.Hunk looked up as the bell jingled cheerily at Shiro's entrance. "Shiro! Happy St. Alfor's Day!" he called, dusting the flour off his hands. "What can I do for you?"Shiro pursed his lips, peering at the morning buns and loaves of rye bread, as if he didn't already know what he was getting. "Do you have any gingerbread tokens?" he finally asked."Oh," Hunk said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. "There's a lady love you want to impress?"Shiro flushed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Not exactly…"
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 150





	Some Tender Charm

Shiro slipped out of the castle at first light, taking the winding path through the city streets to the bakery he and Matt haunted when they were off duty.

Hunk looked up as the bell jingled cheerily at Shiro's entrance. "Shiro! Happy St. Alfor's Day!" he called, dusting the flour off his hands. "What can I do for you?" 

Shiro pursed his lips, peering at the morning buns and loaves of rye bread, as if he didn't already know what he was getting. "Do you have any gingerbread?" he finally asked.

Hunk beamed. " _ Do I have gingerbread,"  _ he said, ducking into the kitchen. The scent of ginger and cardamom and clove filled the air as he came out with a tray laden with gingerbread cut into every shape imaginable - stars and flowers and bells and lions for St. Alfor. 

"They look beautiful," Shiro said appreciatively, “but I was wondering if you had any tokens?"

"Oh," Hunk said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. "There's a lady love you want to impress?"

Shiro flushed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Not exactly…"

"A nobleman, then?" Hunk said. "I have just the thing."

He ducked back into the kitchen and came out with another tray, covered in gingerbread cut into shields and roses and hearts. Shiro pointed at one of the shields, with two birds piped onto the cookie in the Marmora family colors. "That one is pretty…" 

Hunk nodded, setting the dish down and ducking under the counter to pull out a small box to carry it in. Shiro reached for his coin purse, but Hunk shook his head. "Consider it a gift for St Alfor's day," he said, pressing a second cookie into Shiro's metal hand. 

Shiro stepped out into the street, savoring the spices melting on his tongue as he set off for the castle, thinking of the first time he’d tried gingerbread.

***

It was the day before St. Alfor's Day, and the castle was full of hustle and bustle and happy voices. But Shiro couldn't enjoy it. 

He'd been so excited to come to the castle for his training, but he missed his mothers, and Minae, and the horses, and even the cow. He knew that he'd get to visit home for the winter festival, but he was only seven, and it seemed like an eternity to wait. The other squires were nice enough, especially Matt, but not even Matt could make up for the homesickness that had swept over him, so strong he thought his heart might break.

He had hidden in the apple tree in the kitchen garden, and he was just wondering if his mother had started cooking for the feast day yet when he heard a door slam shut, and footsteps approaching. 

A small boy with a mop of dark hair darted straight for Shiro's tree, and he barely had time to blink before the boy had caught a branch and pulled himself up. He reached for a second branch, but then he saw Shiro and froze.

They stared at each other for a bit, and then the other boy said, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not," Shiro said, scrubbing at his eyes. 

The other boy tilted his head. "Why are you sad, then?" he asked.

Shiro sighed. "I miss my parents, and my sister." His bottom lip wobbled. "I won't see them until the winter feasts."

"Couldn't they come to see you?" the other boy asked.

Shiro shook his head. "They have to take care of the horses," he said. "And they'd have to be invited."

"Oh, that's easy,” the other boy said, as if getting a formal invitation from the queen happened every day. Shiro laughed, and the other boy pouted. "It is!"

"Of course," Shiro said, not wanting to offend his new friend.

The other boy pouted, and with his wild dark hair and pink cheeks, Shiro couldn’t help but think about how cute he was.

Suddenly the other boy’s face brightened. “I have an idea! Stay here!” And with that he swung out of the tree and ran back to the kitchens before Shiro could say a word.

It felt like ages later, but was probably only a few minutes before the other boy came running back. He slowly climbed the tree, holding his right hand to his chest. When he finally settled on the branch, he held his hand out to Shiro.

Shiro’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that gingerbread?”

The other boy nodded. “For St. Alfor’s Day,” he said. Shiro took the cookie carefully, as if it was made of glass. The village baker back home made gingerbread for feast days, and he and Minae would peek at them through the windows. But gingerbread was so expensive, his mother added a little ginger to her famous butter cookies to make them extra special for feast days..

This cookie was even prettier than the one from the bakery, with a lion surrounded by stars stamped into the dough. He looked back up at the other boy. “How did you get this?”

He shrugged. “I just asked for it.” Shiro gawked at him and the other boy huffed and nudged his arm. “Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Shiro obediently took a bite and unconsciously made a  _ yum  _ sound as the spices burst on his tongue - cinnamon and cardamom and lots and lots of ginger.

The other boy beamed up at him and Shiro took another bite, blushing all the way up to his ears. “I still can’t believe they just  _ gave  _ it to you,” he mumbled.

Suddenly a voice rang out across the garden. “Keith! You’re supposed to be practicing for your lute lesson!”

“Oh no!” the other boy whispered.

“Wait, Keith? ...Prince Keith?” Shiro asked, his mouth hanging open.

The other boy - Keith - caught his hand. “Come  _ on _ !”

They jumped out of the tree and Keith grabbed Shiro’s hand, pulling him toward the garden gate.

***

Shiro found Keith doing his training exercises in the garden, just like he knew he would. But instead of his regular training clothes, today he wore a white cloak, trimmed in red. Not the traditional Marmora family colors, but red always suited him, Shiro thought, watching him spin.

Keith caught sight of Shiro. “How long have you been standing there?” he laughed, blowing his bangs out of his face. 

Shiro smiled. “Not long. Romelle will be upset if you ruin your braid,” he teased.

Keith’s hand flew up to touch his hair - even more elaborately braided than normal, for the feast day. His fingers brushed against the petals of the flowers Romelle had painstakingly woven into his hair. 

Satisfied that his braid wasn’t ruined, Keith shoved at Shiro’s shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that! Romelle would be furious!”

Shiro laughed. “I hardly think she’d be surprised. Surely she’s used to your antics by now?”

Keith swatted at him, but his lips quirked upward and Shiro smiled, smitten as usual. “I brought you something.”

Keith’s sapphire eyes lit up as he took the box, slowly opening the lid. “Gingerbread,” he said softly. “Like the day we met.” But then he noticed the shield shape, and the love birds, and his jaw dropped.

Shiro swallowed. He and Keith had sworn oaths to each other before - both oaths of knighthood and oaths of devotion, when Shiro was lost to himself under some witch’s spell. But this was different.

“Keith,” he said softly, and Keith looked up at him, confusion in those beautiful purple eyes.

“Shiro, is this - this isn’t…” Keith stammered and Shiro would have laughed at the bewildered look on his face if his own heart wasn't in his throat.

He looked at Keith - beautiful, kind, perfect Keith - and knelt at his feet.

He caught Keith’s empty hand, pressing a kiss to the knuckles, and then his wrist. Keith took a sharp inhale as he stared - and Shiro couldn’t blame him, this was the most presumptuous thing he’d done in his  _ life _ .

“It’s a token...” he said softly, before his nerve gave out. “I swore myself to your service years ago, but you had my heart long before that.”

“ _ Takashi _ ,” Keith murmured, dropping the box and pulling him to his feet. Before Shiro could breathe, Keith threw his arms around his neck. His hands caught Keith’s waist, and his heart stuttered in his chest when he saw Keith’s smile, brighter than the sun. “Takashi,” he whispered again. “You’re my whole heart.” And then Keith’s lips were on his and  _ oh _ .

Keith’s tongue swiped along his bottom lip and Shiro opened up to him blindly, swallowing Keith’s pleased hum as he licked into Shiro’s mouth.

Keith was the best thing he’d ever tasted, and Shiro scooped him up, desperate to be closer. Keith squeaked in surprise and Shiro pulled back. “Sorry, too much?”

“No,” Keith said breathlessly, his cheeks blushing the prettiest pink as he looked down at his feet, dangling above the ground. “Not too much.”

Shiro smiled and leaned in to kiss Keith again, already addicted to the drag of Keith’s lips on his, the way Keith sighed and went pliant in his arms.

Shiro wasn’t sure how long they kissed, but they froze when the city bells started tolling. “The festival!” Keith whispered, his lips kiss-swollen and eyes bright. 

Shiro brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Romelle won’t be happy,” he murmured, tucking a loose flower behind Keith’s ear.

But Keith just laughed. “We’ll just tell her it’s your fault - you know she always lets you get away with everything.”

“In that case…” Shiro murmured, kissing Keith again as Keith laughed into his mouth.

They did make it to the festival - eventually. And when Shiro won the joust, he caught one of the roses and rode up to the stands to offer it to Keith, who took it with a laugh and a kiss.

Shiro even remembered to rescue the box of gingerbread before the morning dew spoiled it. Keith swore it was the best gingerbread he’d ever tasted, even if it was slightly smushed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! <3 This fic was inspired by a historical segment about gingerbread from Season 3, Episode 8 of GBBO ("The Beginnings" show if you're watching on Netflix). As soon as the historian said that knights would give gingerbread tokens to fair maidens I knew I had to write about knight Shiro giving Prince Keith some gingerbread.
> 
> Also in this AU gingerbread makes an appearance for all the feast days, not just the winter feasts. In case you were confused why there were blooming fruit trees. (Personally I'm all for warm Christmas-y spices year round, not just at Christmas, so I didn't even realize that might seem strange until I went to post lol.)
> 
> You can find me over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bavariancookie) if you want to talk about Sheith!


End file.
